


Even Heroes Have the Right to Bleed

by TheShortestManOnEarth



Series: Glimadora Week 2.0 2020 [1]
Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Angst, Comfort, F/F, Glimadora Week 2020, Glimadora-freeform, Glimmer reflects on Adora's role as a hero, Hurt, Part 1 of 2 Rewrite of Season 5, Prompt: Battles and Injuries, Rewrite of Season 5 Episode 4: Stranded, Tumblr: Glimadora Week, some descriptions of injuries
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-16
Updated: 2020-08-16
Packaged: 2021-03-05 20:28:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,013
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25931350
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheShortestManOnEarth/pseuds/TheShortestManOnEarth
Summary: Glimadora Week 2 2020: Prompt 1: Battles/Injuries.Rewrite of Season 5 Episode 4: Stranded. A "what if" rewrite. If Adora hadn't regained her powers in "Stranded" and was left with injuries that would change how she acted in Episode 5 (next prompt will cover this episode rewrite). Every action has consequences and taking things for granted is never a good idea. Glimmer wants to do better and realizes her inaction is no longer an option.
Relationships: Adora & Bow & Glimmer (She-Ra), Adora & Bow (She-Ra), Adora & Glimmer (She-Ra), Adora/Glimmer (She-Ra), Bow & Glimmer (She-Ra)
Series: Glimadora Week 2.0 2020 [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1881961
Kudos: 18





	Even Heroes Have the Right to Bleed

**Author's Note:**

> Hi All,
> 
> This prompt is a bit late because it required a lot more prep work and thought process to plan. But I'll be getting the second half of this in on time though. I based the title on the song "It's Not Easy (Superman)" by Five by Fighting. 
> 
> I thought for a long time about what I wanted to do for Glimadora Week 2 and decided on a two part rewrite for my first stories. I wasn't overly fond of how blase Glimmer seemed about Adora nearly killing herself in the crystal cave holding up the wall and then letting her go off to face Horde Prime alone seemed a little out of character for Glimmer to me. 
> 
> So this is my take on how it could have gone down had Adora not regained her powers right away. I think that Season 5 missed a lot of great opportunities for Glimmer and Adora to reconnect and talk about what happened between them. I also love playing with "what ifs" and another thing I felt was missing was Glimmer's concern about Adora not being She-Ra anymore. 
> 
> If you'd like another rewrite of these episodes I recommend "Stronger Together" by NamakiTDR. 
> 
> The next part will be up soon (I split the story into two parts for each episode rewrite). 
> 
> I'm so/so on the fic altogether but I've got more writing to do so I'm going to move on. 
> 
> Thanks for reading!

Glimmer didn’t take many things for granted. When you grew up with one parent dead and having to face a war from the outset, it was hard to believe anything could be permanent. Life was fleeting, elusive, and tricky to navigate. Of course, being a go with the flow and rush ahead kind of person proved to be helpful in situations that called for quick thinking. Often, fighting in the rebellion called for snap judgments and rushed decision. At first, Glimmer didn’t take them as seriously as she could have. After all, what could happen when you were the child of an immortal being? 

Every time she leapt into the fray to fight bots or Horde soldiers; she didn’t think about whether it would hurt. Because she could heal and could recover using the Moonstone. When Adora joined the Rebellion, the girl had obtained the Sword of Protection and seemed to stand on equal footing with the Princess who always had luck or something else on her side. 

Now her eyes went to the hero as the blonde struggled, her arms shaking, and her brow knotted with exertion as she held up the collapsing exit to the crystal cavern. Tallstar’s arms weren’t holding up terribly well. Glimmer hadn’t had much of a chance to talk to Adora since the rescue, but she could tell something was a little off. Before the activation of the Heart of Etheria, Glimmer had only ever seen the blonde full of energy, strength, and there were barely slivers of moments when the warrior girl showed that she was slowing down or hurt. It was hard to say if that were because the blonde worked hard to hide her injuries or because She-Ra healed them faster than Glimmer could notice they had been there to begin with. 

More pieces of crystal fell, and a shark struck the blonde’s arm. She grunted and her arm slipped a little. She replaced it, pushing even harder, but Glimmer’s eyes, despite how far away they were, could see the tear in the sleeve of the red jacket and the spread of dark color as blood seeped through the fabric. Tallstar’s arm then collapsed, leaving Adora to hold the cavern wall up on her own. Glimmer gritted her teeth, looking between the falling entrance and the pink crystals. 

Adora was always carrying everyone. It hadn’t taken long for the pink haired girl, then a princess, to notice just how much the warrior tried to take on. As if she was trying to make up for mistakes that weren’t hers to atone for. Yes, she’d been in the Horde, but Adora wasn’t a Horde soldier, not truly. But that didn’t stop Adora from working herself to the bone, from breaking herself into pieces just so everyone else could continue living as if the girl weren’t on the last legs of her strength at the end of each fight. 

Glimmer had seen She-Ra’s incredible power firsthand. The warrior was a goddess, a legend, and to some, a myth of brighter days. There was no shortage of magic for She-Ra. She could fight endlessly. Adora on the other hand, was just a person like anyone else. Early on Glimmer had rolled her eyes at the blonde’s insistence at using She-Ra throughout the entire mission to Plumeria. Then it hit the princess. Adora didn’t believe she was anyone without the sword. Bow and Glimmer had tried so hard to prove to the warrior that she had nothing to worry about, that no matter what, it was Adora, and not She-Ra that they wanted to be friends with. 

Blaming Adora for Angella’s death put all of that to an end. The blonde was back where she started. Here she was in a cave because Glimmer had gotten herself captured by Horde Prime, because she set off the Heart of Etheria. The Queen continued her climb and turned to look at the blonde once more. Why wasn’t she transforming? Something was wrong. Adora would have punched away the crumbling crystals by now as She-Ra. But she wasn’t glowing or powering up. The girl was collapsing under the weight of her own stubborn heart and bottomless humanity. It was too much to watch. Glimmer sworn to make up for what happened. She looked down at Bow. 

He stood with Jewelstar and Starla, waiting for Glimmer to come down. His brow creased with worry as their eyes locked. Bow had been hurt by the Heart of Etheria’s activation too. He wore his emotions, even the negative ones, on his sleeve. It was clear he still cared. Which was why Glimmer knew that she had to do something. She couldn’t keep taking that love for granted. She had to protect it. 

“Bow, go get Adora.” The Queen called. Two brown eyes narrowed at the words, not comprehending. 

“What are you talking about?” He yelled. “I’m not leaving you here.” 

Glimmer grunted in frustration. “Adora needs our help, Bow. She doesn’t have the sword, does she?” 

The boy’s eyes snapped wide open. He’d almost forgotten that Glimmer didn’t know that the sword was gone. He looked over at the blonde as she struggled to hold up the cavern wall. He couldn’t leave Glimmer, not after they’d just gotten her back, but he could see Adora was already on her knees, determination giving way to agony as the crystals dug into her shoulders and cut up her already torn jacket, leaving cuts all over the blonde’s skin. She hissed through her teeth. 

“Bow! Now!” Glimmer yelled. “I’ll be fine.” He didn’t believe her. She could see that on his face. A light touch to his shoulder turned his attention to Jewelstar and Starla. The former sibling jerked his head back towards the cavern entrance. 

“Tallstar and Adora need our help.” Jewelstar said. Bow bit his lip, hard, he could taste metal in his mouth. His eyes went back to meet Glimmer’s lavender ones. He’d been so frustrated with her over the last few hours that he’d almost forgotten why he’d left Etheria in the first place to go to space. He’d gone to find Glimmer. 

“Glimmer, promise me you’ll be okay?” He called up, his voice cracking a little. It was hard to swallow the idea she was going to have to swing coming back across the bridge on her own, but he had to trust her. That wasn’t so hard in the past. Now it seemed like the cavern dividing them was widening and the bridge collapsing once more. Once Glimmer never needed to ask if he trusted her, if he believed in her, and she’d taken it for granted that she’d never have to ask him for help. That Bow would always be her second in every fight. 

“I’ve got this. Go.” She yelled, turning her eyes to the crystals. Every part of her screamed to go back for Adora, to abandon the crystals, and save her best friend. But she had to get the Thulite. Her eyes kept shifting as Bow, Jewelstar, and Starla ran to the bridge. They crossed it just as the crystal collapsed, leaving Glimmer stranded at the top. She’d managed to secure the pink fuel source, but she didn’t have a way to get back. 

A bellowing yell sent a chill through the Queen as she saw Adora’s body finally giving way. Bow, Jewelstar, and Starla ducked under to support her, but the crystals were falling at a rapid pace. Every single decision Glimmer had made recently had hurt the blonde. But this would be the last. She wasn’t about to let Adora continue to hurt. The blonde was a hero, but she didn’t need to be the one to bleed for everyone else. It was someone else’s turn. 

Glimmer tied her cape around the crystals and shut her eyes. She knew her connection to the Moonstone was faint and her magic was low, but she had to try. Internally she hoped, pleaded, and wished for a miracle. A loud bang shook the crystals around her as her body sparkled in a glow and then landed with a thump on the other side of the divide. 

“Glimmer!” Bow yelled, relief in his voice as she scrambled to her feet. There wasn’t any time for them to hug as the entrance was finally coming down completely. Glimmer passed the crystals to Bow before slipping under Adora’s arm and pushing her up. 

“We need to go!” She cried over the sound of the crumbing cavern. No one needed a second warning before letting go of the crystals and making mad dash for the exit. As soon as they cleared the entrance, the whole cavern where they’d just been was blocked off by crushed crystals. Glimmer wasn’t paying attention to it though. She was focused on getting Adora back to the ship. The blonde was exhausted and by the time they made it up the ramp, Glimmer could barely hold Adora up any longer as she was on the verge of collapsing. 

As soon as the ship was refueled, Bow took the helm and Glimmer set about looking for medical supplies. She had Adora lie down in one of the ship’s spare rooms and found some spare bandages and cleaning fluid stored in a closet. It was probably older than most of the people on Etheria, but they couldn’t be picky. Once she returned to the spare room, she had Adora sit up. 

“I’m going to need to take your jacket off to treat this.” Glimmer said quietly. The warrior nodded mutely and shrugged off her coat without a word. Somehow the Queen expected more wincing, grimacing, or cries, but true to her nature, Adora didn’t even let out a single peep about how much pain she was in. As soon as the jacket was off Glimmer had to bite down on her tongue to keep from crying on the blonde’s behalf. Both of her arms were covered in bruises, scratches, gashes, and cuts from where the crystals had hit her or dug into her while she held up the entrance on her sheer force of will. If it were anyone else, the task would surely have killed them or at least left them unable to walk. But the warrior girl gritted her teeth and bore the pain as if it were the most natural thing in the world. 

“I’m sorry.” The Queen murmured as she took some of the anti-septic and dabbed at the cuts. If Adora was in pain, she held it in. Glimmer hated that Adora did that but somehow, Glimmer grown used to it, numb to it, pouring so much of her emotions into fighting that she never noticed that Adora was suffering. What happened to looking after each other? 

“You weren’t the one who made the cavern collapse.” Adora said plainly. She didn’t look up. Her knuckles were white from clenching the sides of the mattress she sat on. Glimmer paused in her treatment to look from the injuries on the blonde’s arm to the ones hidden in the girl’s sky-blue eyes. 

“No.” The Queen said, averting her gaze once more to the physical injuries. “But I’m the one who let our friendship collapse.” Glimmer said softly. “And I’ve let you get hurt so many times because I thought that if you were She-Ra, you were fine. If you had your powers you could heal, and you wouldn’t be able to…” 

Understanding rocked through the blonde warrior. Glimmer didn’t think She-Ra was invincible. No, far from it. The girl understood that She-Ra was only as strong as Adora. Glimmer needed her best friend to be strong, because deep down the Queen was crumbling, trying to grab crystals to keep the rebellion alive, and also needing Adora to keep holding onto the hope that they could get out of this alive. 

“I let you do it all, almost on your own.” Glimmer said, squeezing the cloth she’d been using to dab at Adora’s wounds so hard that the cleaning fluid trickled down the Queen’s wrist. “Because I was too stubborn to see you were hurting too.” 

Adora sighed. She wanted to deny that she was hurt, in more ways than one, but she couldn’t hide it, no more than she could hide the cuts on her arm. “It’s not your job to save everyone.” That stunned the blonde into looking over at the Queen finally. “This…” The pink haired girl gestured to the bloody cloth, the wounds, and Adora’s poor state. “Is because I set off the Heart.” 

The blonde nodded and took a deep breath. “I had to destroy the sword. I’m not She-Ra anymore. But I’ve still got to keep fighting.” Glimmer groaned and threw her arms wide in exasperation. 

“To what end?” She continued dabbing to keep her eyes off the blonde. It was hard to look at her when she was so beaten up and still acting like she’d let the world down. Every single second that the blonde spent throwing herself into danger left a linger ache in Glimmer’s heart. It was a pain she’d ignored after Angella died, but it was still there, still raw, and a reminder that life couldn’t be taken for granted. That even a hero like She-Ra bled the same as everyone else. She just did a better job of hiding it. “Horde Prime wants you. He threatened you. I don’t know what I can do to stop him. But I’m not about to let him hurt you.” 

Adora’s blue eyes, which had been filled with an uneasy hurt mixed with uncertainty, now filled with a soft affection for the pink haired girl. There was that protectiveness in her lavender eyes once again that had tugged at the warrior’s heart from the beginning. Glimmer didn’t let Adora face her fears or her struggles alone. That wasn’t who the Queen was. They’d gotten lost in who they thought they needed to be along the way. But now, it was just them. Two best friends, a Queen and her most loyal and trusted warrior, and two people who cared more for each other than words could say. 

“If you’ll let me, I’d like to be there for you. Like we used to be.” Glimmer said and gently wrapped a bandage over Adora’s shoulder. “I know I can’t take back what I said. But I still care about you.” The Queen finished her wrapping and stood back to give the blonde some air. She remained quiet for a minute, deep in thought. “I promise I still do.” 

The Queen nearly jumped at the sudden touch as Adora’s hand took hers. It was like all their collective nerves were electrified and then cooled as they connected. A longing passed between them that neither realized they’d been craving. They’d gone so long without their usual nights cuddling together, their affectionate touches, or even the gentle hugs they’d shared over the years. Their hearts bled for the Rebellion and never completely recovered. 

But maybe now they could. For each other. “It hurt…” the warrior said, squeezing her eyes shut to quell the tears that stung at her eyes. “When you told me that I wasn’t good enough. I blamed myself. And then you were taken away. I thought I’d never get to see you again.” 

“I didn’t want that to be the last thing I said to you, Adora.” The Queen said. “I wanted to come back so I could tell you that you’re everything you should be and more. You’re everything to _me_. ” The blonde merely nodded and when their eyes met once more, they fell together, holding each other in the tightest embrace since the Queen had been rescued. At that moment Bow came in and Glimmer looked up. His eyes filled with warmth as she held out an arm. They would need time to heal. But at least now they could do it together. 

As they made their way back to the bridge, Adora’s eyes went to the sky. It didn’t take long to follow where her mind went. The same thought had passed the Queen’s mind frequently since her escape from Horde Prime’s flagship. 

“I have to go back for her.” Adora said. “I know it makes no sense.” The Queen’s brow furrowed. The warrior was right, it _didn’t_ make sense. Catra had hurt all of them, especially Adora. There were wounds that even She-Ra’s healing powers couldn’t mend. Just as Glimmer knew her words left a mark on Adora’s heart, so too did Catra’s actions. But the warrior wouldn’t be the hero she was if she didn’t continually step up to defend those who were beyond saving. Everything in Glimmer felt torn. She could see that Catra had tried to do some good. 

_We’re the good guys._

Glimmer had told Scorpia that the Queen wouldn’t hurt Catra. The cat girl had proven she didn’t want to keep hurting others. It was a nice thought. Though it didn’t mean that Horde Prime himself wasn’t still a threat. If the Queen said “no” Adora would still go. She would rescue anyone who needed it, whether they asked for it or not. Some months ago, Glimmer would have sat by and let others do this mission. Or sat atop the crystals while Adora bled. But no more. Every hero deserved a chance to heal, to be someone else, and to be free of the burdens of others. Glimmer couldn’t stop Adora from saving others. The pink haired girl didn’t want to, for so many reasons. But she could make sure that the warrior came home safe. 

“We’re with you.” Glimmer said, placing a hand on her friend’s shoulder. Bow repeated the gesture on Adora’s other side. As the flagship loomed near, Glimmer wondered if she could be the hero the blonde so desperately needed but could never on her life ask for. Resolve settled in her stomach. Glimmer would be the salve and help Adora heal. Living wasn’t something she could count on forever, so she had to make it count.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading, let me know what you think!


End file.
